bangalore journal

Bond and belong

WE BELONG is a group of friends, mainly software engineers who are dedicated in bringing a sense of belonging to two of the most neglected communities- orphans and elders. Pic: AuthorIt is a shame that people who have lived their entire life for the sake of their children have been abandoned in old age, and children abandoned are devoid of love and security at an young age. They miss out on an environment of love and care, and thus have no idea of the value of relationships, and do not cherish their being. Old age homes tell another grim story.…

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Art for peace

The Karnataka Chitra Kala Parishat is hosting an exhibition of selected collages, oil paintings and writings of late Dr. Venkatraman Balu, artist and peace activist, from December 26 to 30. Eminent poet and MLC Chandrashekara Kambara inaugurated the exhibition and released Peaceful Images, a special book on Dr. V Balu. The book is a visual feast, and presents a collage of his work and its impact on people. It is a compilation of articles, artifacts, tributes and reactions that provide an overview of Dr. Balu’s personality. Peace from the horse's mouth: art by Venkatraman BaluThis exhibition saw 60 of his…

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In 1995 when I first visited the Kathriguppe main road at Banashankari 3rd Stage, it reminded me of RK Narayan's description of a sleepy town. But today it boasts of everything that a city needs, including a retail store fresh@banashankari just 200 m from our residential complex with 72 apartments. I was informed the founder of Heritage Foods was none other than N. Chandrababu Naidu, former Andhra CM.I am a 65 year old who loves fruits. I used to be a regular customer at fresh@banashankari since it opened. I shifted my source of purchase from the road side fruit vendor…

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Business Now- an agency to safeguard vacant sites! Safeguarding a vacant site is a big task in Bangalore, especially if you live outside the city. The demand for land is so huge that encroachments have become common. So who will take care of your site if you are not in Bangalore? Vruddi Infrastructure Private Limited will! It is an agency that is providing this innovative service... for a nominal fee the agency will maintain your site and give you monthly updates. For details contact; 42994399, 42434445. (Udayavani, Monday, 22 December, Namma Bengalooru)Government Cops get trained for policing, opt for teaching!…

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I knew it - MNCs are no better, if not worse, than desi ones when it comes to after sales service. This painful truth was revealed to me when my Whirlpool Quick Chill became a hot case, so hot that even the company didn’t want to touch it with a barge pole. It happened last summer. I wanted to impress a client of my husband with a tall chilled glass of lime juice from my Whirlpool, just like the ads showed, and reached into the deep freeze for ice, and, what do you know, I felt water sloshing about in…

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No, museums are not boring. Take them to the Viswevaraya Science Museum and enjoy their grey cells perk up. It’s a wonderful and fun way to learn science (and we mean not just the kids). From Aviation, Principles of Electronics, Optics to Space Exploration, it can keep them and you interested for hours together. The younger ones will enjoy the Dinosaur section.Contact details: 22864009 10-5.30 PM, Website: vismuseum.org.in Movies – Your kids will love you if splurge on a mall-movie-ice-cream day, friends in tow. Ice-creams at Corner House, Koramangala/Sheshadripuram/Jayanagar 9th block will work fine too... your halo will shine for…

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Have you ever wondered why Rajajinagar and Jayanagar are well planned, but Madiwala is not? Why Malleswaram is planned while Srirampuram is a mess? How so many people lived crammed into narrow streets and bylanes in some areas with little or no drainage and roads, while relatively swanky 80ft roads run through HSR Layout? Why does Bangalore have so many illegal layouts? Why does the city fall apart during even a moderate downpour? What happened to all the drainage channels and valleys that originally used to carry water away?Illegal Layouts[Citizen Matters sat down with H B S Aradhya, former Deputy…

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Is it snowing in Bangalore this winter? No, but something just snowballed into a major event!What started as a simple outing that a few friends wanted to do together has now got all the makings of a major sports fixture. Let's see how the Tour Of Nilgiris (TFN) event that some Bangalore cyclists have put together, grew from small to large..... Pic: Aravind Teki of Bangalore Bikers' ClubThe whole idea was triggered in March of this year, when Ravi Ranjan Kumar, a software engineer, thought of organising a holiday ride for some friends. He posted the idea on Bikezone, one…

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Here I was merrily plucking tomatoes from my garden as and when i needed them in the kitchen, till S – our domestic help - told me that she had just bought it for 40 rupees a kilo in Russell Market?! FORTY?! I resolved to tend to my garden with greater care and gratitude! 'The garden' has always been integral to my growing years and it was only a matter of time before I started my own. So, ever since we moved to our place earlier this year, I experimented with various methods in the endeavour to make my garden…

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The December Music Season is considered to be a prestigious event much like its counterpart in the north, the "Saptak Music Festival'. A setting which boasts of the best of the performers to the best of the rasikas leaves no stone unturned to create the best of the ambience. The annual event held at the carnatic music capital of India, Chennai, draws huge crowds from the world over. Chennai, often considered as the elder cousin of Bangalore, brings in its elements to make a formidable pair with its younger tech city to entertain millions in a variety of spheres. The…

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